Fluid ejecting apparatus, a print system, a method of recovering fluid from a fluid ejecting head, and a record product all including a wiping blade for wiping an ejection surface

Abstract

A fluid-ejecting apparatus includes: a wiping device having a wipe member for wiping an ejection surface of a fluid-ejecting head; and a washing bath storing a wash fluid for washing at least the wipe member of the wiping device. Therefore, a stable and uniform washing of the wiping device can be performed.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A fluid-ejecting apparatus for ejecting a specified fluid to a recording medium by using a fluid-ejecting head having an ejection surface where a plurality of orifices for ejecting the specified fluid are formed, comprising: 
       wiping means having a wipe member, the wipe member having a wiping area for wiping said ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head during contact with said ejection surface, the wipe member consisting of a porous member, and the wipe member shaped for providing substantially uniform pressure on said ejection surface during contact with said ejection surface;  
       a washing bath storing a wash fluid for washing at least said wipe member of said wiping means;  
       absorption means for absorbing the fluid in said wipe member after washing at least said wipe member;  
       transport means for moving said wiping means between an upward position where said wiping means wipes said ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head with the wiping area of said wipe member, and in which said wiping means does not contact the wash fluid stored in said washing bath, and a downward position where the entire wiping area of said wipe member is dipped into said wash fluid stored in said washing bath and is washed thereby, and in which the fluid-ejecting head does not contact said wiping means;  
       supply means for supplying an additional wash fluid to said washing bath; and  
       discharging means for discharging a portion of the wash fluid from said washing bath.  
     
     
       2. An apparatus as claimed in claim  1 , further comprising discharge means for discharging a portion of the wash fluid when a content of said wash fluid in said washing bath exceeds a prescribed level in order to keep an amount of the wash fluid in said washing bath to a constant level. 
     
     
       3. An apparatus as claimed in claim  1 , wherein said wipe member is made of a plastic member. 
     
     
       4. An apparatus as claimed in claim  3 , wherein 
       said plastic member occupies a predetermined volume and is composed of a high molecular porous body which maintains a constant volume when absorbing the specified fluid, and wherein said high molecular porous body comprises a formal foam resin.  
     
     
       5. An apparatus as claimed in claim  3 , wherein 
       said plastic member is a thermal sintered compound selected from the group consisting of low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, high-molecular polyethylene, complex polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl meta-acrylate, polystyrene, acrylonitrile copolymer, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer, fluororesin, and phenol resin.  
     
     
       6. An apparatus as claimed in claim  1 , further comprising absorption means for absorbing fluid in said wipe member. 
     
     
       7. An apparatus as claimed in claim  6 , wherein an absorption force of said absorption means is sufficient to cause fluid to flow from said orifices of said fluid-ejecting head through said wiping means when said ejection surface is wiped by said wipe member. 
     
     
       8. An apparatus as claimed in claim  1 , wherein 
       said fluid-ejecting head is moved back and forth against a recording surface of the recording medium to perform recording by ejecting the specified fluid, and  
       said wiping means has a first surface for wiping said ejection surface of said fluid-ejecting head when said fluid-ejecting head is moved forth and a second surface for wiping said ejection surface of said fluid-ejecting head when said fluid-ejecting head is moved back.  
     
     
       9. An apparatus as claimed in claim  1 , wherein said fluid-ejecting head is a full color recording head, composed of a plurality of head portions being different from each other to correspond to a plurality of colors. 
     
     
       10. An apparatus as claimed in claim  1 , wherein said fluid-ejecting head is an ink-jet recording head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the specified fluid. 
     
     
       11. An apparatus as claimed in claim  10 , wherein said ink-jet recording head has a plurality of thermal-energy conversion elements for generating thermal energy, the thermal energy being applied to the specified fluid to perform the ejection. 
     
     
       12. An apparatus as claimed in claim  11 , wherein said fluid-ejecting head ejects the specified fluid from said plurality of orifices by causing a conditional change in the specified fluid by the thermal energy generated by said thermal-energy conversion elements. 
     
     
       13. An apparatus as claimed in claim  1 , wherein the recording medium is a cloth. 
     
     
       14. An apparatus as claimed in claim  1 , wherein the wipe member has a flat surface parallel to said ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head. 
     
     
       15. A print system comprising: 
       a transport unit for transporting a textile; and  
       a textile-printing apparatus for printing the textile, wherein said textile-printing apparatus comprises:  
       a fluid-ejecting head having an ejection surface ejecting a specified fluid;  
       wiping means having a wipe member, the wipe member having a wiping area for wiping the ejection surface of said fluid-ejecting head during contact with said ejection surface, the wipe member consisting of a porous member, and the wipe member shaped for providing substantially uniform pressure on said ejection surface during contact with said ejection surface;  
       a washing bath storing a wash fluid for washing at least said wipe member of said wiping means;  
       absorption means for absorbing the fluid in said wipe member after washing at least said wipe member;  
       transport means for moving said wiping means between an upward position where said wiping means wipes said fluid-ejecting head with the wiping area of said wipe member, and in which said wiping means does not contact the wash fluid stored in said washing bath, and a downward position where the entire wiping area of said wipe member is dipped into said wash fluid stored in said washing bath and is washed thereby, and in which said fluid-ejecting head does not contact said wiping means;  
       supply means for supplying an additional wash fluid to said washing bath; and  
       discharging means for discharging a portion of the wash fluid from said washing bath.  
     
     
       16. A print system as claimed in claim  15 , wherein the wipe member has a flat surface parallel to said ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head. 
     
     
       17. A method of recovering a specified fluid from a fluid-ejecting head for ejecting a specified fluid to a recording medium, comprising the steps of: 
       providing wiping means for wiping an ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head, the wiping means having a wipe member consisting of a porous member;  
       wiping the ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head with a wiping area of the wipe member of the wiping means, the wipe member shaped for providing substantially uniform pressure on said ejection surface during contact with said ejection surface;  
       moving the wiping means from an upward position where the wiping means wipes the fluid-ejecting head with the wiping area of the wipe member to a downward position where the entire wiping area of the wipe member is dipped into a wash fluid stored in a washing bath and is washed thereby;  
       washing at least the wipe member of the wiping means by immersing the wipe member in the wash fluid in the washing bath;  
       absorbing the fluid in the wipe member by using absorption means after washing at least the wipe member;  
       supplying an additional wash fluid to said washing bath; and  
       discharging a portion of the wash fluid from said washing bath in order to keep an amount of the wash fluid in said washing bath to a constant level,  
       wherein, at the upward position, the wiping means does not contact the wash fluid stored in the washing bath, and, at the downward position, the fluid-ejecting head does not contact the wiping means.  
     
     
       18. A method as claimed in claim  17 , further comprising the step of discharging a portion of the wash fluid when a content of said wash fluid in said washing bath exceeds a prescribed level with an additionally supplied wash fluid. 
     
     
       19. A method as claimed in claim  17 , wherein said providing step further comprises the step of providing a plastic wipe member. 
     
     
       20. A method as claimed in claim  19 , wherein the plastic wipe member has a high molecular porous body, the high molecular porous body being a formal foam resin, and said method further comprises the step of absorbing the specified fluid while maintaining a constant volume of the plastic wipe member. 
     
     
       21. A method as claimed in claim  19 , wherein said providing step comprises the step of providing a plastic wipe member made of a thermal sintered compound selected from the group consisting of low density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, high-molecular polyethylene, complex polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl meta-acrylate, polystyrene, acrylonitrile copolymer, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer, fluororesin, and phenol resin. 
     
     
       22. A method as claimed in claim  17 , wherein said washing step further comprises the step of absorbing the specified fluid in the wipe member with an absorption means. 
     
     
       23. A method as claimed in claim  22 , wherein said absorbing step comprises the step of applying a sufficient absorption force to cause the specified fluid to flow from orifices of the fluid-ejecting head through the wiping means when an ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head is wiped by the wipe member in said wiping step. 
     
     
       24. A method as claimed in claim  17 , further comprising the steps of: 
       moving the fluid-ejecting head back and forth against a recording surface of the recording medium to perform recording by ejecting the specified fluid, and  
       wiping the ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head with a first surface of the wipe member when the fluid-ejecting head is moved forth and wiping the ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head with a second surface of the wipe member when the fluid-ejecting head is moved back.  
     
     
       25. A method as claimed in claim  17 , further comprising the step of providing a full color fluid-ejecting head composed of a plurality of head portions being different from each other to correspond to a plurality of different colors. 
     
     
       26. A method as claimed in claim  25 , wherein said providing step comprises the step of providing an ink-jet recording head having a plurality of thermal-energy conversion elements for generating thermal energy, the thermal energy being applied in said fluid to perform said ejection. 
     
     
       27. A method as claimed in claim  17 , further comprising the step of providing an ink-jet recording head having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting the specified fluid as the fluid ejecting head. 
     
     
       28. A method as claimed in claim  27 , further comprising the step of ejecting the specified fluid from the fluid-ejecting head from orifices by causing a conditional change in the specified fluid by the thermal energy generated by the thermal-energy conversion elements. 
     
     
       29. A method as claimed in claim  17 , further comprising the step of providing cloth as the recording medium. 
     
     
       30. A method according to claim  17 , wherein the wipe member has a flat surface parallel to said ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head. 
     
     
       31. A record product comprising the combination of a recording medium and a textile printing apparatus comprising a fluid-ejecting apparatus ejecting a plurality of fluid droplets at least on one surface of said recording medium, wherein said fluid-ejecting apparatus comprises an ejection surface with a plurality of orifices for ejecting the fluid droplets, said fluid ejecting apparatus further comprising: 
       wiping means having a wipe member, the wipe member having a wiping area for wiping the ejection surface during contact with said ejection surface, the wipe member consisting of a porous member, and the wipe member shaped for providing substantially uniform pressure on said ejection surface during contact with said ejection surface;  
       a washing bath storing a wash fluid for washing at least said wipe member of said wiping means;  
       absorption means for absorbing the fluid in said wipe member after washing at least said wipe member;  
       transport means for moving said wiping means between an upward position at which said wiping means wipes the ejection surface with the wiping area of said wipe member, and in which said wiping means does not contact the wash fluid in said washing bath, and a downward position where the entire wiping area of said wipe member is dipped into the wash fluid in said washing bath and is washed thereby, and in which the ejection surface does not contact said wiping means;  
       supply means for supplying an additional wash fluid to said washing bath;  
       discharge means for discharging a portion of the wash fluid in said washing bath in order to keep an amount of the wash fluid in said washing bath to a constant level, thereby providing a washed wipe member for wiping the ejection surface for improved ejecting of fluid droplets to perform recording.  
     
     
       32. A record product according to claim  31 , wherein the wipe member has a flat surface parallel to said ejection surface of the fluid-ejecting head.